Athletic brace for limbs.



L. ALLIS- ATHLETIC BRACE FOR LIMBS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 28. l9l6.

Patented May 15, 1917.

STS

LOUIS ALLIS, 01E MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

ATHLETIC BRACE FOR LIMBS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 15, 191%.

Application filed March 28, 1916. Serial No. 87,208.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LOUIS ALLIS, a citizen ofthe United States, and resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukeeand State of WVisconsin, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Athletic and is more particularly directed to theprovision of a device for holding the portions of a limb against pivotalmovement relative to a respective joint. In various athletic pursuits ithas been found desirable, particularly as an aid for persons notsufiiciently skilled, to provide means for holding portions of arespective limb against bending in certain movements of the limb. Thepresent device is particularly applicable in connection with the game ofgolf wherein a bending of the wrist or elbow interferes with a properstroke under certain conditions, and the device finds use in other gamessuch as base ball and cricket. It is the object of the present inventionto provide a device which may be attached to the limb of a person toprevent undesired bending thereof and it is further the object toprovide such a device which may be rendered inoperative in its holdingaction without detaching the device from the wearer, so that the wearermay have free movement of the limb when desired, with but littleinconvenience.

It is still further an object to rovide such a device wherein theportions 0 a limb may be held in different relative positions.

With the above and other objects and. advantages in view, the inventionresides more particularly in the novel combination, ar-

rangement andformation of parts more particularly hereinafter describedand more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of one form of the present inventionadapted for use in connection with the elbow joint of a persons arm.

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the same form of the invention, lookingat another side thereof and showing the device applied.

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of another form of the invention adaptedfor use in connection with the wrist joint of a persons arm, and showingthe device applied.

Referring now more particularly to the structure of Figs. 1 and 2, thereare provided a pair of upper and lower strap members 5 and 6, the endsofwhich are adapted to overlap when placed about a persons arm and whichare provided with-buckles 7 and strap sections 8 coacting therewithwhereby the strap members may be firmly secured to the arm. At thesidesof the joint, the strap 5 is shown as considerably wider than thestrap (3 and' thus this strap serves the function of the main securingmeans of the device to the arm, while the strap 6 is more in the natureof a holding means, it being understood that the wider strap would besecured to that side of a joint at which there would be the leastmuscular play and inasmuch as in connection with an elbow brace therewould be less muscular play above the elbow than below the same, thewider strap is disposed at the top. Extending from the strap members arepair of bars 9 and 10 adapted to be diametrically opposed when the strapis operatively disposed about a limb and the end portions of respectivestraps are pivotally connected at 11 at points adapted to lie within theaxis of movement of the joint. The ends of' the bars 9 are extended pasttheir pivotal connections and slidable on the bars 10 are locking loops12 of similar cross-sectional shape and size to the bars 9 and 10 whichare adapted to engage over the said extended ends to hold the bars inalinement. For preventing undesired movement of these loops 12, a leafspring 13 is secured to the outer end of each bar 10 and has its freeend portion directed inwardly to yieldingly hold the respective loop inlooking position, and to hold the loop in retracted position when theloop is slid over it to time permit free move- -ment of the joint.

In Fig. 3 is shown a form-0f the invention more particularly adapted forstiffen ing the wrlst joint, and this structure comprises the strap 14adapted for securement to the arm inwardly of the wrist and the strap 15adapted for securement about the palm of the hand adjacent the fingerknuckles. Extending from the strap 14 are bars 16 adapted to lie at thesides of the wrist, and extending from the back portion of the strap 15is a bar 17 having at its inner end a transverse head portion bent aboutthe back of the hand with its ends extended longitudinally at the sidesof the hand for pivotal connection with the bars 16 at oints 18 in axialalinement with the axis 0 movement of the wrist. The bars 16 areprovided with locking loops 19 and springs 20similar to those of thefirst described structureQ Thus the two embodiments herein shownillustrate the principle of my present invention and it is understoodthat for use under various specific conditions and in-connection withvarious joints of the body other modifications may be employed withoutdeparting in any manner from the spirit of the invention, which issetforth more broadly in the accompanying claims.

I claim:

1. A limb brace comprising a pair of en circling members adaptedto bedisposed one on each side of the joint of a limb, a pair of pivotallyconnected links, one be ing rigidly secured to each member, the pivotedend of one link being extended and adapted to engage the other, alocking loop of a cross sectional size and shape similar to the-limb andslidable over the extended end of one and the adjacent portion of thetended over said extended end and the adjacent portion of the otherlinks, and a retaining spring fixed on one of the members to engage thelocking loop to hold the same against shifting of said links.

3. A limb brace comprising a pair of encirclingmembers adapted to edisposed one on each side of a joint of a limb, a pair of pivotallyconnected links, one being rigidly secured to each member, the pivotedend of one link being extended and adapted to engage the other, a leafspring fixed to said other link adjacent its connection with one of themembers and adapted to extend longitudinally of the links, the free endof the spring being adjacent the end of said exortion when the links aredisposed longitu inally, and a locking loop slidable over said extendedortion and the adjacent part of the other llnk, said loop being engagedby said spring and held against shifting on said links.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand atMilwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, in thepresence of two witnesses.

' LOUIS ALLIS.

Witnesses:

Jams PORTER, J r., O. F. PIHL,

